Sanctuary

It was dark, and she was in a room. She couldn't feel anything, save for the cold concrete floor and the chill in the air. She shivered, pulling her hoodie closer around her shoulders and furrowing her eyebrows. What the hell was all of this?

Instantaneously, a window appeared in front of her, lending a shed of light that let her see into the next room. She hurried toward it, toward the familiar faces behind it.

There was Hallie. And Parker. And her dad, Danielle, Maggie, Audrey, Matt. And her brother and Shae and Stacey and Alex. And…her mom? Weird. They were all scattered around the room, talking and laughing as if they were all the best of friends.

She tapped on the glass, waiting for one of them to turn and tell her how to get the hell out of this blank room. To be excited to see her and welcome her in.

But they didn't. She tapped the glass again, this time trying to call out. She opened her mouth, but to no avail. Her voice. It wasn't there.

What in the world…?

She pounded on the glass again, harder this time, her heart pounding in rising panic. They were right there. So close. How could they not hear her?!

Her eyes welled up with tears, longing swelling in her chest. They were so close. Two steps away. And yet…nothing.

She felt her legs beginning to give way. She slid to the ground, inch by inch. Agonizing and slow.

*PING PING* She awoke with a start to her cell phone rattling the bedside table near her head. She sat up, throwing off the terribly warm blankets and trying to calm her racing mind. What the hell was that dream all about?

She shook it off, rubbing her tired face and reaching for her phone, puzzled. It was three in the morning, and there were two days left of spring break. Admittedly, her break had been…pretty awful. She spent her days trying to occupy herself, running errands around town or going to the gym and generally just avoiding her house. More specifically, her mother.

Normally, she'd have been disappointed at the lack of contact from her Brighton friends, but she was surprised at how unaffected she was. It was like something in her brain or heart was missing, something that had miraculously depleted her feelings. She knew she should care…but in some odd way, she didn't. And to be honest, it had been kind of freeing. She had been writing more and focusing on getting in better shape, and she didn't need her friends to do that. She kind of liked the solitude.

She picked up her phone, wondering just who the first person to break that silence would be.

She squinted in disbelief as she read the text from Shane.

"new girl," it read. "u up?"

Her fingers hovered over the white letter keys, debating whether or not to respond. Another text came through shortly after.

"don't even think about ignoring me. we both know that doesn't work."

She smirked at his blatant arrogance, waiting almost ten minutes before she answered him.

"yeah. whats up?"

"my buddies are throwing down at their shore house tomorrow nite. u in?"

"idk maybe." She shrugged to herself, trying to sound noncommittal. She didn't exactly want him to know how boring of a week she'd had so far. Nor did she want to seem totally desperate by jumping at his random invite.

"trust me, don't miss this. spring break parties are a whole different story."

"good different?"

"duh. be there or be square, new girl." He then forwarded her an address and a winky face.

She laid back down on the pillow, using her phone to look up the address. It was a beach house, only about an hour and a half drive from where she lived. She contemplated actually showing up, then scoffed to herself at the idea. She didn't even know these kids.

But she knew Shane. And she felt kind of honored that he had invited her, considering his wide friend circle. And she hadn't seen him in almost two weeks, which was probably some kind of record for the two of them at this point.

She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't going to go. It was an interesting invitation, and she fully intended to see it out.

***

"So how psyched are you to go back to school?" Shane said slowly, leaning up and nibbling on her ear.

She closed her eyes in delight, pulling the sheet closer around her. "Not very."

"But at least you'll be within walking distance again," Shane said, rolling over so her was on top of her. The light of the moon cast shadows across his face, the bare skin of his back illuminated.

Her eyes opened slowly, her mind calm with a high from the joint they had shared nearly an hour before. "God, I'm swooning," she teased.

"Good," he said, pinning her arms to the bed and kissing her forcefully. An involuntary moan escaped her lips as he trailed down her neck and along her collarbone.

"You really want a round two?" she gasped, pulling his face up to meet hers.

"Is that okay?" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her naked spine. "It's my buddy's house, so we can stay over." His fingers trailed down her hip, a trail of goosebumps shooting up behind him.

She bit her lip, nodding as she closed her eyes. She didn't care what the hell they were going to do, as long as he kept touching her like that.

His phone lit up with a text and he reached for it, his eyes lighting up as he read the text.

"Who is it?" Taryn slurred sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"No one," he said, answering the text and returning his attention to Taryn. "You okay?"

"Of course," she whispered, smiling to herself as she felt his familiar touch. She may not have had the best spring break ever, but this was certainly a much better way to end it. Nevermind the nagging voice in her head that said she probably should've stayed at home. The old Taryn would have done that. The old, depressed Taryn who never left her bedroom. But not this one. The new Taryn took more chances, had more fun. And she'd be damned if Shane wasn't any fun.